T.I.A.

This Is Africa!

I'm sorry it took me so long to update this, but I'm still wrestling with jet lag and it's been a pretty crazy week. Because I have so much to say, I'll just go chronologically.

Saturday, Jan. 15
It's go time. I woke up extremely late, crammed the rest of my clothes in my suitcase, and my mom, Michael and I headed for Houston so I could catch my flight. It wouldn't be a Hoffman family road trip without a bit of a detour, although my mom prefers to call it the "scenic route." (I guess I'm not much into scenery because I obviously got mad). So, we eventually got to Houston, had some dinner, and said our goodbyes. It was a lot more sad than I expected! Then I found a spa in the international gate and decided I deserved a good ol' manicure to ease the pain. Go figure, it worked. I made some last minute phone calls and boarded the biggest plane ever. There were empty seats all over the place so I had a three seat row all to myself. Perfect for sleeping, right? WRONG. I didn't sleep ten minutes on the entire eight hour flight. But it was actually pretty fun because there was a really sweet english girl in front of me and I kept making conversation so I could hear her accent.

Sunday, Jan 16.
The flight landed at Heathrow in London in the early afternoon and I slowly made my way through customs by myself. It was basically the most annoying thing I've ever been through (and I get annoyed easily, so you know it was bad). The only way I survived the treturous line was by playing a little game I usually do when I'm really bored and in a crowded area. It goes like this: I pick people out and try to figure out why they are where they are, down to every last detail. I'm convinced that I stood between a Russian spy and his wife, and a male model who had been working in Italy and was flying back home to London because he heard his girlfriend was cheating. I guess it made time pass..

Anyways, I finally got my passport stamped and was officially allowed to cross the border. After getting picked up by the AIFS rep. in London, another girl and I went to the hotel where all of us were staying during our layover. We were all under the impression that we could go explore London because our layover was insanely long. Wrong again! AIFS decided that we didn't have enough time, so we all just went to the hotel bar and got to know each other.

Our flight left from London later that night and luckily my roommates Sam, Rachel and I nabbed seats together! Actually, it was a pretty sneaky operation, but someone's gotta do it. Our other roommie, Kenzie, was passed out in a three seat row all alone. Needless to say, we were jealous. Another twelve hours in the air passed with little to no sleep, but at least we all got to know each other.

It was definitely love at first layover.

Monday, Jan. 17
The beginning of the day started and go figure, we were still on a plane. Traveling for two days straight can wear down even the toughest of road warriors. BUT, we were greeted with gorgeous views of our new home from the plane!

We landed in Cape Town around 11:30 in the afternoon and all hopped on a bus that brought us to Stellenbosch. This is the absolute most beautiful place I have ever been!

There are literally vineyards as far as the eye can see. I'm in heaven. The girls and I keep looking at each other and saying "guys, we're in Africa!" It all seems so surreal!

The rest of the day was spent unpacking (kinda) and grocery shopping for our flat. The grocery stores here are i-n-s-a-n-e. I will never again complain about traffic in HEB or Kroger, because the US just can't hang when it comes to grocery shopping wars. There was literally a point when Kenzie and I looked at each other in the cleaning supplies aisle and started crying because we couldn't find Clorox wipes. Literally. I thought it would be cute and super african to get my fruit from this little market outside of the store, so I took my rands (the currency they use here) and my sassy self over to the booth to start haggling. I don't even know why I tried. The same guy tried to rip me off not once, but twice. In the same sentence. It went a little something like this:

Man (who I thought was precious and quickly changed my opinion about): Ohhhh hello! What can I get for you? Apples? Melon? Strawberries? Grapes? (He asked like 6 other fruits).
Me (trying to not look insanely foreign): Hi! Can I just get...three bananas?
Man: Ohhh bananas, good choice, good choice. That will be....5 rands.
Me: Awesome. *whips out a R20*
Man: Okay, 10 rands.
Me: Uhhhhh
Man: 10 rands.
Me: You said 5.
Man: Ohh yes yes, 5 rands. Okay, here's your change. *hands me 10 rands*
Me: Alright, no. 20 rands minus 5 rands is 15 rands. You owe me 5 more.
Man: Oh I'm so so sorry miss! So sorry!

Right.

Then we all went out to dinner and to check out the nightlife in Stellenbosch. Let's just say, these people are nuts.

Tuesday, Jan. 18
We had to wake up entirely too early given the fact we had no sleep the night before and two days of gruesome traveling. The girls and I headed to orientation sessions practically all day, but found some time to wander around town and grab some lunch (and more importantly, wine) later that afternoon.

We came across a gorgeous little scene that ended up being...

MY FUTURE HOME. Seriously, amazing.

Then we grabbed lunch at a really cute restaurant with a little garden in the back. The owner was adorable and kept showing us around and discussing the menu.

Some of the girls got pizza and it was made by hand and cooked in this super cute oven. The restaurant also doubles as an art gallery, apparently, because some of the art work was amazing and it's all for sale!

That night we all went to a really cool bar called Cubana. They play runway shows on huge screen TVs, so obviously I fell in love.

Rachel, Christa, Me, Sam and Kenzie at Cubana.

Wednesday, Jan. 19

We had more orientation which was anything but entertaining, but somehow we all survived. Later we went to Cubana again, and then tried out some other hot spots in town. By this point we were starting to learn our way around town, thank goodness. 

Thursday, Jan. 20

Are you catching the pattern? Go to orientation, shop, go out, repeat.

Except this day, Sam and I had an encounter with quite possibly the most precious man on the face of the earth. We were shopping around for gifts for people back home and found this little handmade gifts shop in the middle of an alley. It looked a little shady, but, when in Rome, so we went in. The man was sitting behind his desk making something out of wood, so we decided to ask him about what he was making and basically everything for sale in the store. It turns out, he was making a hand sculpted elephant, which just so happens to be my favorite animal of all time!

While browsing around I found a really cool looking wooden box, opened it up, and realized it was a Mancala set! I love love love Mancala, and I started talking to the man about it. He made the entire game and didn't even know how to play, so obviously I had to teach him. After a few lessons he started to get the hang of it, so much in fact that he gave us a discount on our purchases. We told him we'd come back soon to visit, and of course I wanted a rematch!

Here's a brief view of everything for sale in his shop. Everything is hand made in the store and it's all so detailed and intricate, it's amazing!

Me with my new best friend!

Friday, Jan. 21

CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY! We finally got internet access! I feel like an American again and it's GREAT. So now I can finally keep you all updated :)! For those of you that don't know, my Skype name is amandajhoff, and my e-mail is ajhoffman@tamu.edu. Feel free to contact me at either one of those places from now on!

Friday night we all went to a braai (South African barbeque) with a bit of a twist. There was a "band" of people who played the bongo drums and they brought drums for all of us, too! It was awesome!

The girls on our way to the braai.

Part of the crowd playing drums.

One of the women from the band leading everyone.

Us with the band after their performance!

After the braai we all thought it would be a good idea to check out this bar that stays open until 5 am. Bad choice.

Saturday, Jan. 22

We woke up at 8 in the morning (you do the math for how long we slept) and headed across campus to hop on a bus and go to a tour through Cape Town. Let's just say, none of us sleep deprived kiddos were fun to be around. BUT, the city is absolutely gorgeous.

First, we toured a botanical garden in the middle of the city.

Then we drove to the top of one of the mountains to check out the view. This picture is of Table Mountain, which is apparently super famous. AND you can skydive above it! Umm..awesome!

That big bowl is the World Cup Stadium.

The beach is so gorgeous! And Cape Town is just a cool city overall.

That's Robben Island, the place where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. Pretty interesting!

Alright, I'm about to pass out from hand cramps. I literally just typed for like an hour straight and now my roommates are mad because we're supposed to be watching movies and eating pizza. It's good to know college kids are this unhealthy all around the world.

Until next time! XOXO